Effects of Linking Structure and Cognitive Style on Students' Performance and Attitude in a Computer-Based Hypertext Environment

The purpose of this study was to determine the implications of content organization and cognitive style with regard to the design of hypertext. Specifically, the study examined the effects of linking structure type and field-dependence and -independence on recall of verbal information, as well as attitudes toward instructional materials. Subjects were 139 undergraduate college students. Five hypertext-based instructional treatments using different linking strategies (linear, hierarchical, hierarchical-associative, associative, and random) with the same content (Chinese Politics) were created for five groups of subjects. Overall, the results of the study indicate that students with higher scores on the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) test outperformed students with lower scores on the GEFT test on the performance posttest. Students tended to like hierarchical linking structures and hierarchical-associative linking structures more than linear structures and those who were more field independent had more positive attitudes than did students with lower scores on the GEFT test. In addition, students with lower field-dependency would have more positive attitudes when using less structured instruction, while students who are more field independent would prefer more structured instruction. Implication of these findings for hypertext design and directions for future research are discussed.